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Proof of Existence	By : CainesSparkly Category: 1 through F > CSI: Miami Views: 2638 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: Miami, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: We all know I don’t own CSI: Miami or any of its characters; the great and wonderful CBS, Jerry Bruckheimer, and a few others I’m sure I’ve forgotten do and we should all worship them for giving us such wonderful characters to play with. Mara Hohlman, however, does belong to me and I’d like to be consulted before she’s used elsewhere.
Author’s Note: I am playing fast and loose with vampire legends here… any similarity to other works is purely unintentional. This story is set in an alternate universe… and I don’t think there are any spoilers.
Archive: If you want it, take it, but please tell me where my baby will be. I can be reached at djsparkles@insightbb.com.
Chapter One

Ryan Wolfe was tired. Not tired in the normal “I’ve been working a lot” way, but in the “I must be nuts to work all day and play all night” sort of fashion. He felt run down, exhausted, and was still looking forward to seeing Mara that evening.
Mara. Just the thought of her made him feel better. She was beautiful, sensual, and interested in him. That in itself was enough to keep him happy.
He stifled a yawn and put his eye to the scope once more. He had to get this trace processed before he could let himself think about her any more; he was totally besotted with her and he knew it wasn’t a good thing to neglect his work because of it.
A sound at the door caught his attention and he turned, giving his boss a tired smile as he swiveled back to the scope. “I got something off those fibers, H,” he began, only to have a bone-popping yawn break free. “Sorry. Late night last night.”
“And the night before, it looks like. When was the last time you slept, Mr. Wolfe?” Horatio Caine was more than a little concerned. He had never seen Ryan so tired; usually he was a fountain of energy. And he was pale, too pale for Miami’s sun. “Let’s, um, let’s hear what you have.”
“Well, they’re not from anywhere in the states. Carpet backing, but from imported rugs. I’ve got it running through the database now to confirm, but it seems to be a visual match to Ecuadoran manufacture.” Ryan passed a hand sheepishly over the back of his neck. “As for when I slept, well, I’m not really sure.”
“Then you certainly need to rest,” Caine added as he verified the visual. “You’re awfully pale, Ryan, are you sure you’re okay?” He couldn’t ignore the possibility that the boy was ill.
“I’m fine, honest. I just need to quit staying out so late.” Ryan got up slowly, stretching as he did so, and Caine watched him intently. He certainly didn’t seem ill; but his pallor and his exhaustion spoke loudly to the older man. “I’ll go home tonight and go to bed, promise.”
“I don’t think that will be enough, Mr. Wolfe.” Horatio put out a hand to steady him as he staggered slightly. “Alexx. Now.”
*****
Alexx Woods was in her office when the two men arrived in Autopsy. A soft call brought her out; one look at Ryan’s pale face and obvious distress sent her into overdrive. “What have you done to yourself now, sugar?” she asked gently as she settled him on a table and began to look him over. “It’s not the eye again, is it?”
“Nah, it’s H being overprotective,” he replied with a smirk. “Almost as bad as you, Alexx. Honest, I’m fine. Just tired. Promise.”
“Uh huh. Honey, tired is one thing, total exhaustion is something else. When was the last time you slept?” Alexx was still looking him over. “Roll up your sleeve.” She, too, had taken in his pallor and the dark circles surrounding his eyes. A blood pressure check made her frown slightly, and his pulse rate deepened the scowl. “I’m going to run a couple of tests, sweetie, and I want you to rest here while I do.” She handed him a pillow from her office and a sheet. “Now stick out your arm so I can draw some blood, there we go. I’ll wake you up when I’m done.”
She motioned Horatio into her office as Ryan dropped off to sleep almost instantly. “His pressure’s down, his pulse rate is up… he looks like he hasn’t slept in a week. No fever, but I didn’t expect one. If anything he’s a bit chilled.” She did some basic tests quickly. “He’s anemic, too. Not quite into the danger level, but getting there.”
“What’s causing it?” Horatio knew the basics; poor diet, lack of sleep, infection, all could cause Ryan’s symptoms, but he didn’t think they would be as severe in such a case.
“My guess would be blood loss, for the levels to be this extreme, but there’s no evidence of any injury. And there’s no corresponding increase in white cell count to indicate an infection.” Alexx was at a loss. “He needs rest, Horatio, and a lot of it.”
“I’ll take him home, Alexx. Anything else?” Things weren’t adding up, and Caine didn’t like it.
“Just make him rest, Horatio. I’d say a couple days, at least.” Alexx went to Ryan and laid a gentle hand on his cheek. “Wake up, honey, so you can go home,” she said gently.
Ryan opened one eye, remembered where he was, and sat up slowly. “I guess I was worse off than I thought,” he mumbled around another huge yawn. “Okay, I’ll go home. I’m too tired to argue.”
“I’ll drive you.” Caine was taking no chances; and it was apparent to him that Ryan would never get home in the state he was in. He’d wrap that bike around a utility pole or end up under a bus.
Wolfe simply nodded and Horatio’s apprehension jacked up a notch. The man had never been so compliant before.
He slept during the drive, and more than once, Caine glanced over to make certain he was still breathing. He seemed frail, somehow, fragile and faded.
Horatio managed to get him up to his apartment and into bed, and he sat down on the sofa. Ryan had been seeing someone, he knew, and had been planning something for tonight as well. At least he could let her know about Wolfe’s illness and keep him from being disturbed. It wasn’t like anything was hanging fire at the lab; Calleigh and Eric could take up the slack, and the night shift would be coming in soon.
He didn’t question his need to remain at the apartment; he’d learned a long time ago to listen to his gut. And it was telling him now that Wolfe needed someone to look after him, to protect him.
Protect. That was an odd word for his mind to produce. Why would Ryan need protection? Nonetheless, it rang true.
A knock at the door surprised him out of his reverie and he opened it slowly. “You must be Mara,” he said softly as he waved her inside. She was certainly beautiful, he thought as he commended Wolfe on his taste. Dark hair fanning about her face, gray eyes, full lips… she was stunning. And yet, something about her set his teeth on edge.
“Is Ryan here?” she asked quietly as she moved into the room. “I was worried about him, he was so tired this morning.” She wouldn’t mention why she was worried, not yet. Maybe not at all, not to this man.
“He’s, um, he’s sleeping at the moment,” Horatio returned calmly. “What do you know about his exhaustion, Mara?”
“I know that I’ve been keeping him out way too late with him working so much,” she replied with a soft laugh. She knew other things, too, but again, she wouldn’t tell him. “I came to tell him to take a break, I’ll be out of town for a few days. That way he can rest all he needs to.”
Well, she certainly seemed concerned, but something about her speech rang false. Caine raised an eyebrow at her. “And is there somewhere he can reach you? I know he’s very fond of you, I’d like to think that’s mutual.” He could feel himself slipping into interrogation mode and didn’t fight it. Something about her just didn’t seem right.
“Ah, but that’s part of my mystique,” Mara answered softly. “He’ll be fine, I won’t be gone that long.” It looked like she’d have to keep her distance longer than she planned, though. She could sense Ryan in the other room, and he was very weak. She didn’t dare stick around; she might inadvertently kill him, and that wouldn’t do at all.
Hunger reared its ugly head at her and she hushed it insistently. It wasn’t to be denied, however, and remained at a low level, making it more difficult for her to think clearly. She drew power to hold it off.
Caine stiffened. Something wasn’t right about her, something had changed. She seemed, if possible, more beautiful than before. He met her pale grey eyes with his own blue ones…
… and felt a moment of vertigo. What the hell? He tore his eyes away quickly and the world steadied. “I think it would be best if you left, Mara, and that you don’t come back here.” He didn’t understand what had just happened; but she was responsible, of that he was certain. And he was rapidly becoming convinced that she was in some way responsible for Ryan’s current condition.
“Look at me.” Her voice was soft, insistent. “What are you afraid of?” Now it was mocking. “Surely you’re not afraid of me? You’re armed. I couldn’t get to you before you shot me.” Now it took on a reassuring note. “You shouldn’t be afraid of me. I’m no threat.”
Caine took a step back, taking care to keep his eyes fixed anywhere but on her. Whatever she was doing, it was powerful. He felt the pull of her voice; he almost responded to it before he could stop himself. “You’re responsible for what’s happening to Ryan Wolfe, Mara, and I’m not sure how yet, but I will find the connection.”
“Oh, we can’t have that.” An indulgent chuckle. “Ryan will be as good as new in a few days. And how could I possibly be responsible for his health? That’s a rather silly assumption, isn’t it?”
Horatio drew back further, fighting the spell of her voice. Somehow she was hypnotizing him!
“You don’t want to run from me, Horatio Caine,” she said softly. Her voice was like warm velvet, wrapping around him in a comforting haze. He tried to step backward again, but his feet no longer seemed connected to the rest of him. How had she known his name?
“I know many things, Horatio Caine, and your name is the least of them,” she purred as she stepped closer. One exquisitely manicured hand came up to lay flat against his chest and he took a deep breath, desperately trying to keep his eyes from meeting hers. “I know you are an honorable man, a dedicated man, and that you care deeply for your friend in the bedroom.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she took the final step to press herself against him. “You want to protect him. You want to keep him safe.” She put her lips against his ear to whisper. “How far are you willing to go to protect him?”
Caine tried again to distance himself from her, but found the wall at his back. Somehow they had crossed the width of the living room without his conscious knowledge, and it disturbed him. “How?” he managed to grind out.
“I clouded your mind,” she whispered in his ear. “You haven’t answered my question: How far will you go to protect him?”
“As far as I need to.” He meant the words to come out forceful, angry; what he heard was a murmur.
“Then perhaps we can reach an agreement,” she replied with a nip to his earlobe. “Meet my eyes, brave Horatio, and if you can withstand me, then I will go away with no harm done. But if you cannot, then you will do as I ask, without hesitation, without question.”
Caine weighed his options quickly. He seemed to have little choice; with a shiver of apprehension that he would never acknowledge, he raised his eyes to hers.
He felt himself falling, but his body didn’t move. Her voice seemed to come from all around him, soft, sweet, and seductive. “You see, you have nothing to fear from me,” she murmured. “I can give you so much more. With but a thought, I could fulfill all your desires. All you have to do is take my hand.”
She stepped back from him and his gaze followed her like a moth to a flame. His will was returning to him; he didn’t question it, he just acted on it. “I don’t think so.” He stepped sideways to put himself between her and the door to Ryan’s room. “I believe you said you would leave.”
She stepped close again. “One night, Caine, you will find you are not strong enough to protect your own. Then I will help you; but be warned. I will expect payment for my protection.” She lightly kissed his lips and left quickly.
Caine stared at the door for a long time.

TBC…
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Proof of Existence